Shell Cracker Plant Pollution Harms Locals
A 60-year-old woman lives near the Shell Pennsylvania Petrochemical Complex, which is a plant that cracks ethane, a byproduct of natural gas, to make millions of tons of plastic each year. The plant became operational in 2022. She was excited for the prospect of jobs, but this excitement faded due to pollution concerns. Both dark plumes of smoke and flames would come from the cracker’s stacks. Other problems included a nauseating sweet smell and a rancid chlorine smell coming from the plant. Since the plant started operating, it has received 33 violations for illegal levels of air and water pollution.
There was a surge in fracking in Pennsylvania in 2008, allowing access to inaccessible gas. Due to this, there was a surge in petrochemicals like ethane, a common raw ingredient in plastic. Shell was offered $1.6 billion in tax incentives to build a plastics plant by a bipartisan group of lawmakers because it would be able to create 20,000 jobs and would revitalize local economies. Shell funded studies backed this up and a 2014 report estimated the plant would contribute $4.4 billion to the local economy over 40 years while a 2021 follow up report estimated it to be $17 billion. Independent analysts considered their reports to be too rosy because they failed to consider costs to the public and the market and regulatory environment. There was a surge of 8,600 workers when the plant was being built, but the number of workers employed full time now is about 500 workers.
When Shell started to operate the plant, the company touted a strong and innovative safety focus. The fact that the plant emits a wide range of pollutants like volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and other toxins contradicts this. The pollutants can lead to respiratory disease and cancer. The project has received multiple violations for air pollution and water contamination. Residents have accused officials of failing to address the concerns of locals. In 2023, when locals claimed the air smelled like kerosene, monitors placed by a local grassroots organization detected levels of benzene that exceeded federal standards. The Pennsylvania environment department came out and gave a sniff test and nothing more. Benzene can be smelled at 12 parts per million while levels as low as .01 part per million require protective clothing.
In May 2023, Shell agreed to a $10 million settlement with the state for air pollution violations. The plant had only been operational for six months, but had surpassed the 12-month emissions limits on volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants.
The Shell plant is expected to reach its max production capacity in 2025 or 2026 when the company will produce 3.5 billion tons of plastic pellets per year. The plant is allowed to release 2.25 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is the equivalent of 523,604 vehicles on the road. Plastic creation accounts for five percent of all global carbon emissions, which is expected to rise. Reports indicate that Shell knew since the 1970s that fossil fuels used to create plastics have planet-warming effects. It has set targets to ramp down carbon emissions but has watered them down this year.
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